The Denver Nuggets were caught in a crossroads at the end of the 2024-25 regular season.
The team was underperforming, but more than their record was the mentality around the team. There was very little belief in a long playoff run under the then circumstances with Michael Malone and Calvin Booth running the show.
So, KSE Vice Chairman Josh Kroenke changed it up, firing both Malone and Booth ahead of the playoffs. David Adelman stepped in and did a good job coaching on short notice. He has since taken on permanent head coaching duties, and the Nuggets appear to be well on their way to continuing the plan for what was built before.
Whether fans want to see change or want things to stay the same in Denver, there are a variety of ways the Nuggets may decide to handle their offseason. For the next week, I’m going to write about the different ways the Nuggets offseason might go, laying out the pros and cons of each path while providing some examples of what that path may look like.
For additional in-depth thoughts on “Running it Back” you can check out this article here.
Denver Nuggets Salary Cap Sheet
Let’s start with the current depth chart and the impending decisions with Denver’s own free agents:
Depth Chart
Point Guard: Jamal Murray, Russell Westbrook*, Jalen Pickett
Shooting Guard: Christian Braun, Julian Strawther
Small Forward: Michael Porter Jr., Peyton Watson, Hunter Tyson
Power Forward: Aaron Gordon, Zeke Nnaji, DaRon Holmes II
Center: Nikola Jokic, Dario Saric*
*Denotes Player Option
What stands out most strongly is the uncertainty behind every starter. While there are quibbles with various starters, it can’t be denied that there’s very little pressure from the second level of the depth chart for minutes. Westbrook was the de facto sixth man, while Watson and Strawther spent the year developing and filling in gaps when the starters rested. Outside of that, Pickett and Nnaji played every now and then. Tyson was an option early but quickly phased out of the mix. Holmes was injured for the full year. Saric was initially a disaster and then rarely an option after that.
No matter what happens this offseason, the Nuggets must simply improve their reliability off the bench.
Free Agents
Russell Westbrook – Player Option worth $3.49 million Dario Saric – Player Option worth $5.43 million DeAndre Jordan – Unrestricted Free Agent Vlatko Cancar – Unrestricted Free AgentWestbrook had a very positive 17th season for the Nuggets, filling in as a starter during the middle of the season and helping the team win playoff games with his overall impact. It will be very difficult, despite his weaknesses, for the Nuggets to find a more impactful player for $3.49 million than Westbrook. They should hope he opts into his option. He might not though, giving himself flexibility to sign for more money or in a new situation.
Saric played 210 total minutes this year and exactly zero minutes in the playoffs. It simply did not work out, and Denver should be looking for ways to move on. If Saric opts out of his player option, it will be a major surprise. Expect him to opt in and for the Nuggets to try and find a different solution.
Jordan recently took to Instagram to say he was goodbye to his 17th NBA season, though he didn’t rule out a return for an 18th year in the NBA. Jordan played the ninth most minutes on the Nuggets this season when he should’ve only been called upon for a small niche role as the team’s bench veteran. For the last three seasons, the Nuggets have valued Jordan’s leadership and occasional backup center production. I don’t expect that to continue this time. They need the roster spot, especially if the team is focused on returning the majority of their squad.
Cancar has had injury issues over the majority of his NBA career as well. His last reasonably healthy season was 2022-23. Since the championship, he’s played just 13 regular season games. Denver needs more help on the floor, and despite his connections to Nikola Jokic and the current Nuggets core, I expect Denver to say goodbye to Vlatko this offseason.
Draft Picks
The Nuggets have zero draft picks in the 2025 NBA Draft this year. It doesn’t mean they can’t add to their roster through the draft by trading into it. Expect a player drafted 45th or later, or no rookies at all added to the full-time roster.
What does “Run it Back” mean?
With Christian Braun playing the most minutes for the Nuggets this year and establishing himself as the Nuggets starting shooting guard, running it back means returning the same starting five as the year before. Murray, Braun, Porter, Gordon, Jokic was a very strong starting lineup among all NBA teams, and actively breaking up that group may lead Denver to get worse rather than get better.
So, all questions about Denver’s roster in a Run It Back scenario have to start with the following three players: Westbrook, Strawther, and Watson.
Option A – Run it ALL back
Westbrook has his own choice to make, but let’s say he opts out and re-signs with Denver for a slight increase to his salary. Strawther and Watson are already under contract, so let’s say the Nuggets simply bring back all of their top eight players and try to add around the edges of their rotation.
If the Nuggets let Jordan and Cancar walk, that leaves two open roster spots available. Under this scenario, the Nuggets would have the Tax-Payer Mid-Level Exception and a Minimum Contract available to sign players. They can’t sign anybody they want due to salary cap and tax apron rules.
Here are a list of free agents in Denver’s price range possibly available for the TP-MLE of around $5.7 million in 2025-26:
Bruce Brown – Nuggets fans are of course familiar. Brown’s big contract ran out after being traded twice. Perhaps he would like to return to a more comfortable spot. Luke Kennard – Denver’s need for shooting is well known. Kennard has made over 900 threes in his NBA career and is extremely efficient. Can be a playmaker too. Chris Boucher – The Nuggets had reported interest at the trade deadline. He can space the floor and block some shots in the frontcourt. About to enter Age-33 season. Taurean Prince – Veteran forward who shot the ball well in Milwaukee, can operate within a team defense, and does little else but space the floor. Tre Mann – Younger guard who started to show signs in Charlotte before hurting his back. Missed all but 13 games. High risk, high reward signing. Jake LaRavia – Another younger player who started career slow and figured some things out this past season. Versatile offensive player. Hard worker on defense. Shot 42% from three on low volume. Amir Coffey – One of the players I’ve long coveted. The spiritual successor of Wilson Chandler in the modern NBA. Does everything. Doesn’t have a true elite skill but is good at most things.Denver can get maybe ONE of those guys, then they would have to go to the true bargain bin to find a player people don’t expect to be good that ends up working out for them.
Here’s a list of Minimum free agents I would consider:
Larry Nance Jr. – Might be nearing the end of his road as a consistent rotation player, but his frontcourt versatility and locker room presence would be good for Denver. Jae’Sean Tate – Could Denver take a flyer on a wing that couldn’t find a spot in the Houston Rockets loaded wing rotation? Alec Burks – Former college player at CU Boulder. He’s never made his way to the Nuggets but would be a good veteran to have around. Monte Morris – If, for some reason, the Nuggets say goodbye to Jalen Pickett, Morris would be an easy addition to the mix again Keon Johnson and Ziaire Williams – Two young wings on the Brooklyn Nets roster that might slip through the cracks but have good role player skills for a team like Denver. Sandro Mamukelashvili – Every time he plays the Nuggets, he dominates. Perhaps a solid pick-and-pop bench big man option when Jokic sits.Between those two lists, let’s say the Nuggets pick Taurean Prince and Larry Nance Jr., two veterans that can step in and fill a role or sit on the bench and wait if needed.
Here’s a projected Rotation Chart for Option A:
Very few of the bench players would be happy with this setup outside of Westbrook, but a possible 11-man rotation would likely shift down to 10 players during the season and nine players in the later stages of the year. If young players like Strawther, Watson, and Holmes are making an impact, they will have an avenue for more minutes. If not, the Nuggets are protected with veterans like Westbrook, Prince, and Nance Jr. until at least the trade deadline.
Option B: Westbrook walks or the Nuggets decide to move on
This is certainly an option, especially if another team decides to target the veteran point guard and offers more money than the Nuggets can realistically match. The hope would be that Denver doesn’t offer the TP-MLE to Westbrook either, because it’s their one bargaining chip for adding a new free agent. We’ve already seen them do the same for Reggie Jackson in the past though, so there’s a precedent for it.
Still, let’s say Westbrook walks away. The Nuggets would be in a really difficult place. Do they simply feel comfortable elevating Jalen Pickett to the primary backup spot? He played a reasonable amount of minutes this season and was a viable rotation option during the regular season, but there’s a clear ceiling with him out there.
No matter what, the Nuggets would have to add some ball handling to the mix, so let’s say they offer Tre Mann the TP-MLE to bring some scoring and spacing punch. It’s not quite enough offense, though, so the Nuggets get crazy with a trade:
***Projected Trade: Denver Nuggets send Julian Strawther, Dario Saric, and a 2030 first round pick swap to the Chicago Bulls for guard Ayo Dosunmu***
Dosunmu is on an expiring contract, and the Bulls are still in the long term game, trying to figure out who best fits their core long term. They add Strawther, who has two more years left of team control, the expiring contract of Saric after he picks up his player option, and get swap rights with Denver on a first round pick five years from now when Nikola Jokic is 35.
After adding Dosunmu for two players, the Nuggets have room for three more minimum free agents. They end up signing Alec Burks, Ziaire Williams, and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Here’s the associated rotation chart for Option B:
Finding ways to stagger multiple starters in the non-Jokic minutes was important for this one. At least two of Murray, Porter, or Gordon are on the floor at almost all times that Jokic isn’t, while Dosunmu is the only bench player to play an extended stretch.
But either way, this would be an option for Denver to take a chance on a playoff upgrade off the bench while taking some flyers on other young options around the NBA. Dosunmu can definitely play the Russell Westbrook-Bruce Brown esque role off Denver’s bench, and that might be all they need if other free agents hit this time around.
Option C: A Massive Bench Shift
If the Nuggets are truly going to improve their roster without trading any of their starting five, they will simply have to make multiple trades. There’s not a lot of flexibility on the back end of the roster, but Denver does have one salary, Zeke Nnaji, that’s large enough to make a more significant deal. If the Nuggets believe in their top group and are simply looking to add the best possible bench player on the trade market, here are some candidates as I see them, almost every option being financially related:
Coby White – White is on an expiring deal, and if the Bulls prefer to commit to Josh Giddey and the aforementioned Ayo Dosunmu, could that mean White is gettable for the right price? Collin Sexton – Another expiring contract. Sexton has been secretly pretty good in Utah for a while and fairly efficient. Could he be the spark plug Sixth Man scorer Denver needs? Donte DiVincenzo – If the T’Wolves are looking to keep Naz Reid, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, AND Julius Randle, something’s gotta give financially. Expect DiVincenzo to become available. Grayson Allen – The Suns are looking to trade Kevin Durant, but they’d also surely look into a Grayson Allen deal to try and get cheaper. Career 41.4% three-point shooter. Max Strus/Isaac Okoro – The Cavs will probably run it back, but Evan Mobley’s max contract just got more expensive after winning DPOY. Denver should check on these wings. PJ Washington – Is he the right fit in Dallas next to Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, and other bigger players? Washington would be an awesome Sixth Man in Denver for a year. Bobby Portis – If the Bucks trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, expect a major roster shift to follow. Portis could be gettable as a backup center option who could play next to Nikola Jokic when Aaron Gordon rests.Denver probably strikes out on all of these options in a realistic scenario, or another team tops their offer unless Denver’s willing to put a first round pick on the table. They only have one to trade in 2031 though, so let’s say they use it on the best player here, which I think is Washington.
***Projected Trade: Denver Nuggets send Zeke Nnaji, Dario Saric, Peyton Watson, and a 2031 first round pick to the Dallas Mavericks for forwards PJ Washington and Olivier-Maxence Prosper***
Dallas does the deal to add another mobile perimeter defender around Davis that’s way further along in development than Maxence-Prosper. They avoid paying Washington in a situation where he’s not a great fit anymore and get another future draft pick they can use to either add a new point guard to replace the injured Kyrie Irving or to simply have another asset to use for their future.
Denver gets Washington to be their sixth man and also sheds the bad salary of both Nnaji and Saric in the process.
But that’s not all.
***Projected Trade: Denver Nuggets send Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett, and a 2030 first round swap to the New Orleans Pelicans for guard Jose Alvarado***
If Westbrook walks, Alvarado is one of the better backup point guards in the NBA and one of the most affordable. With the Pelicans reportedly making everyone available for trade, they add two younger players and a possible pick swap five years in the future for a player who might leave in free agency the following season.
These are two aggressive trades for Denver, but they get back players that will help shore up the bench on both sides of the ball.
After both deals, the Nuggets would have five open roster spots. They wouldn’t have a lot of money to stay under the second apron though (which is the only way either of these trades are legal), so they would only sign four players and keep an open roster spot. Let’s say they get:
Bruce Brown – TP-MLE Monte Morris – Minimum Keon Johnson – Minimum Larry Nance Jr. – MinimumHere’s the rotation chart for Option C:
The Nuggets could try and incorporate other bench players in the mix during the regular season, but the ideal size for this rotation concept is clearly nine players. There’s a lot of pressure on each of them, including a rookie DaRon Holmes II coming off a torn achilles injury. If Larry Nance Jr. is right for that job next season, then that’s an easy switch.
Still, it would be one of the best nine-man rotations in the NBA barring health. Washington would be an awesome option if gettable. His ability to play next to Porter, Gordon, or neither would be valuable in a bunch of lineup combinations.
This is probably the very best Denver could do with their bench unit this offseason from a top end talent standpoint. It’s not a likely outcome by any stretch, but it would add some capable veterans to the mix, removing some pressure from the starting five during the regular season.
This entire exercise was an opportunity to explain different ways the Nuggets could decide to “Run it Back” next year. One involves very little change. Another involves a significant trade. The last one can be described as a complete remodel.
There isn’t a “best option” here either. All options will be on the table, the most likely of them being something akin to Option A. If the Nuggets don’t believe they need significant change, then there are plenty of financial incentives to not do anything. Holding onto the 2031 first round pick is important too because it’s Denver’s final true asset they have, and they might need it to pivot at a different time.
Whatever the case may be, the Nuggets have a bunch of ways they can approach this offseason with the belief their starting lineup is good enough to win a championship. They simply need to determine how far away the bench is from turning that belief into something real.
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